Could-Have-Should-Have-Would-Have Bird (The Kkol-mu-sae)

Futures.

I wasn’t talking about the “presents” that Santa Claus climbs down the chimney to leave on Christmas. This was potentially a gift far more magnificent and massive.

In financial instruments like stocks and crypto, futures meant buying and selling contracts by pre-determining a future price. If you thought the price of an invested asset would go up in the future, you bet on a long position. Conversely, if you thought the price would drop, you bet on a short position.

Above all, the reason many investors dabbled in futures was precisely this:

Leverage.

It was a kind of leverage effect—a system that allowed you to operate more assets than the actual money you possessed (your margin). In crypto futures, 10x, 25x, 50x, and 100x leverages were common, and some places even went up to 125x.

For example, if you invested 10,000 KRW and caught a 50x long, you could swing it like an asset worth 500,000 KRW. If the coin’s price rose by 1% through that investment, you reaped a 50% profit. Conversely, when it dropped by 1%, you tasted a massive plunge of losing 50%.

It was practically no different from betting on Banker or Player in a casino baccarat game.

The futures market was a Colosseum for those with iron hearts. It was a bloody arena where a coward like me shouldn’t even dare to step foot.

However, the talisman inside my wallet kept instilling courage in me.

‘If not now, when else am I going to risk my life?’

Reflecting on how passive and evasive I had been, always avoiding things no matter what I did, made me feel ashamed.

It was time to change.

As a real man, I wanted to play big.

‘Let’s go. 100x long!’

Gripping my smartphone tightly, I made up my mind.

Right at that moment, a message popped up on the corporate messenger.

[Team Leader Go Hyuk-min: Assistant Manager Kang. Come over to my desk for a second.]

It was a call from the team leader.

Ah, I guess I needed to take care of work first.

“Did you call for me, Team Leader?”

When I received the call and went over to the team leader’s desk, he furrowed his brow and spoke.

“Did Assistant Manager Kang reject Assistant Manager Lee Sang-wook’s expense claim?”

“Yes. It had a strong personal-use vibe for a business expense, so I rejected it. When I checked the receipt, he bought women’s underwear, went to a hair salon, and even bought alcohol. Normally I’d just let it slide, but I rejected it first because I figured it might blow up into a major issue later.”

“Assistant Manager Lee Sang-wook came to find me a moment ago.”

“Pardon? To you, Team Leader?”

“He lodged a complaint. Do you know what kind of things I had to hear? He told me to educate the finance team employees properly.”

The team leader let out a hollow laugh as he spoke.

I hadn’t realized Assistant Manager Lee Sang-wook was this much of a delinquent. Though his reputation among the employees wasn’t great, I hadn’t clashed with him directly before.

No matter if he was the company president’s son, this was a corporation, and ranks existed. The team leader’s rank was Deputy General Manager (Cha-jang), which was one step higher than Assistant Manager Lee Sang-wook.

Yet he spoke like that?

Regardless of them being in different departments, it was practically an act of insubordination. If my younger brother had pulled something like that, I would have already given him a solid knock on the head.

‘Shouldn’t you go and confront him?’ I almost blurted out, but I held it in tight. Blowing things out of proportion needlessly could drag not just me, but the entire finance team down with it.

I bowed my head to the team leader.

“I’m sorry you had to go through a lot of trouble because of me.”

“No, not at all. Assistant Manager Kang didn’t do anything wrong. You just did what you were supposed to do, and that’s only natural.”

“I guess I lacked tact.”

I felt sorry, feeling like I had needlessly acted up and caused the team leader to take flak as well.

I found it hard to watch others get hurt because of me. Part of it was due to my timid personality, but it was also because I cared about how others viewed me—worrying they might look down on me.

“In social life, things are very often unfair. But if you try to forcefully overcome that unfairness, you’ll only end up torturing yourself. So, it’s probably better for your peace of mind to just accept that the world is unfair and live like flowing water.”

The team leader even went as far as offering me advice.

I understood the meaning behind his words immediately.

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“That said, don’t get too discouraged. Do what you have to do with confidence, and say what you need to say! Okay?”

“Yes, okay.”

As the team leader smiled and patted me on the shoulder, I bowed my head once more.

Right then, my gaze naturally drifted toward his desk, where I spotted something familiar.

His smartphone was lit up. The screen displayed the crypto exchange app.

“Oh? Team Leader, do you trade crypto?”

“Ah, this.”

With an embarrassed smile, the team leader pulled the smartphone next to him toward the front.

“I heard Bitcoin has been rising a lot lately, so I’m trying to make a little pocket money. Do you do it too, Assistant Manager Kang?”

“Yes. I started because I kept hearing people around me talk about crypto.”

These days, you could easily find office workers trading crypto wherever you went. Neither I nor the team leader was an exception.

“So? Did you make some money?”

“Well… just a little bit of fun, yeah.”

“What’s with that expression? It doesn’t look like ‘just a little bit’? No wonder your expression looked so good when you came into work earlier.”

Since we were practically like family at this point, people could tell each other’s inner thoughts just by looking at their expressions. My overwhelmingly excited feelings must have shown all over my face.

“What are you investing in? Bitcoin? Leaderium? Repol?”

“Until recently I invested in Repol, but right now I’ve cashed everything out and am watching from the sidelines.”

“Any coins you’ve got your eye on?”

“Yes. There’s an altcoin called Rumble, and I’m thinking of buying that one.”

“Ah, Rumble! I know it. That’s the coin that was listed a month ago, right?”

“You know it well?”

“I was impressed because it shot up with a ‘listing beam’ on its very first day and then plunged like a waterfall. I wanted to at least taste a bit of it, but my hands just wouldn’t move to buy it.”

“From what I see, I think some good news is coming soon. If you have some spare funds, Team Leader, you should try buying it.”

I had heard that you shouldn’t blindly recommend stock or crypto picks to others. If you stuck your nose in and things went wrong, you could end up getting pointed at.

However, because I possessed wealth luck, I could speak with certainty.

“Really? The volatility is so severe, I feel like if you get caught in the wrong spot you’re done for.”

“You just bet on luck.”

After Assistant Manager Kang left his desk, Team Leader Go Hyuk-min fell into thought while looking at the exchange app.

“Let’s see, Rumble…”

Assistant Manager Kang’s demeanor recommending the coin felt unfamiliar and unlike his usual self. It was a complete polar opposite of his usual introverted and passive appearance. It was the first time I’d ever seen him speak with such conviction.

‘What did he see to be so certain?’

Even looking at the charts or searching for related information, no positive catalysts could be predicted. If he was just betting on luck, it was no different from gambling.

“Nah. I’ll just safely invest in Bitcoin or something.”

His ears had briefly wavered, but Team Leader Go Hyuk-min ultimately didn’t press the buy button. He figured he’d better just take good care of the Bitcoin he already had.

It was lunchtime.

Instead of eating in the cafeteria, I brought a single piece of bread and sat down on a lounge chair. I didn’t even have the luxury to eat a proper meal right now. I had to buy the coin following the golden glow.

Wouldn’t it be better to use futures leverage rather than just buying spot?

I installed an overseas exchange app and began signing up. Crypto futures were illegal domestically, so it couldn’t be helped.

I managed to finish the installation and sign-up, but the app was entirely in English, making my head spin. There were so many things to authenticate, and countless unfamiliar terms.

‘How do I do this?’

First, I had to deposit money into the overseas exchange. I couldn’t deposit money directly from a domestic bank account, so I had to transfer it using Tether, a stablecoin.

I was moving over 300 million KRW, and I grew anxious making sure I didn’t make a single mistake.

It would be nice if someone could help me right now.

Suddenly, a person popped into mind.

—Are you there, PayPal Papa?

—Yes, Wealth Luck. What’s going on?

I contacted PayPal Papa via portal site direct message. I had met PayPal Papa through a PayPal Coin online cafe and even met him face-to-face at an offline gathering. He was a hyung who was 10 years older than me and possessed quite a bit of experience on the crypto side.

—I have something to ask you about futures.

—Futures? It sounds like you’re about to cross a river you shouldn’t cross.

—What do you mean?

—I’ve seen many people while being in the crypto world, and most people who do futures end up in hell. I really don’t recommend futures to beginners.

—I recently came into a lump sum of about 300 million KRW. I was thinking of using leverage to invest this time.

—What are you trying to put it into?

—Rumble. I’m going to catch a 100x long.

The conversation suddenly cut off.

No reply came back for a long time. PayPal Papa seemed to be agonizing over it.

And after waiting for about 5 minutes, a message came back.

—Not the position size, but 300 million KRW in pure margin?!

—Yes, the 300 million KRW I have.

—What kind of out-of-his-mind person plays 100x leverage with 300 million KRW?? Nobody does that unless they’re desperately trying to throw their money into a dumpster.

—Is it not possible?

—Altcoins max out at 50x at best. Looking at Rumble, since it’s a shitcoin, it only goes up to 25x.

—Is that really all it goes up to?

Hmph. My enthusiasm deflated instantly.

100x was now 25x. It had decreased by a quarter.

—What do you mean ‘really all’? Even 25x is dangerous. Anyway, looks like another person is about to get themselves killed. I’m begging you, please don’t do it. Wealth Luck, you’re still a newbie, right? If you acquire a taste for futures already, you can get wiped out in a single shot. The end of futures is liquidation.

—Yes, I know it’s dangerous. But I have a good feeling about this?

—That damn feeling. Look at the PayPal Cafe administrator. He lost all his wealth on high leverage and ended his life. Could you ever have imagined that when you saw him at the offline meetup? The futures market is a place where even people who were that confident in crypto investing get wiped out in a single blow.

PayPal Papa tried to stop me until the end.

However, my choice could not be blocked.

I stubbornly ended up pouring 300 million KRW into a Rumble 25x long.

Futures trading was definitely different from spot.

I finally felt like I understood the meaning of the warning PayPal Papa had given me.

Even the slightest hint of a downward tick made my whole body tingle and cold sweat pour down. If it dropped by just 4% from my entry price, the entire 300 million KRW would evaporate into thin air.

Even while walking a tightrope like this, I still had to go to work.

Perhaps due to the tension, my face stiffened, and coworkers who saw me even asked if I was sick.

Well, I was sick. In my heart.

It was right on the stroke of 9:00 AM.

It was the time when domestic exchange data reset. Usually, crypto prices fluctuated wildly at this time.

So, who was today’s racehorse?

At that moment, Rumble’s movement was extraordinary.

+10%

+15%

+20%

+30%

+40%

……

A red bar inside the chart shot up like an erupting rocket.

Rumble’s price began to rise fiercely.

And my Rumble long position on the overseas exchange also soared at 25x speed.

+250%

+375%

+500%

+750%

+1,000%

“Assistant Manager Kang! Assistant Manager Kang! Did you see it by any chance?”

As soon as he arrived at work, the team leader rushed over to my desk and spoke in an urgent voice.

Just by looking at his expression, I could tell what he was about to say.

“That coin you recommended. Rumble. It shot up this morning, didn’t it?”

“Yes, I checked it a moment ago. You bought it, right, Team Leader?”

“No, I didn’t! Ha! I should’ve listened to Assistant Manager Kang and bought it!”

The team leader slapped his thigh with his palm in deep regret.

It seemed he hadn’t trusted my words after all.

Ding—

Right then, a message notification sound rang from my smartphone.

It was a direct message from PayPal Papa.

—Wealth Luck, did you catch a long?

—Yes. Thanks to your advice, I caught a 25x long.

—You know it’s shooting up right now, right?

—Yes, I’m watching. Isn’t this crazy? What about you, PayPal Papa?

—I did buy it, but it’s spot… Ah, I should’ve gone all-in on futures too.

Today of all days, the shouts of the Kkol-mu-saes (“Should’ve, Could’ve, Would-Have Birds”) echoed from everywhere.